In terms of percentage hikes, Suzuki, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Kia and Toyota topped the record 159,871 new vehicle registrations in New Zealand last year, Motor Industry Association (MIA) figures reveal.

Suzuki’s 6983 registrations were up 31.4 per cent on the 5311 it did in 2016.

Subaru up 25.5 per cent (3340-2660)

Mitsubishi up 23.8 per cent (11,456-9251)

Kia up 22.6 per cent (6485-5287)

Toyota up 20.5 per cent (32,282-26,785).

Suzuki’s Swift small car didn’t quite do the numbers it did in 2016, but other models in the stable helped make up for it, including the small Ignis SUV (above).

Of the rest among the top 15 brands, Honda was up 16.7 per cent, Audi 12.6 per cent, Volkswagen 9.5 per cent, Mazda 8.1 per cent, Mercedes-Benz 7.1 per cent, Isuzu 5.0 per cent.

Big name players Ford and Holden last year hardly made a move on overall 2016 numbers: Ford was up 0.4 per cent and Holden 0.5 per cent.

Hyundai and Nissan were the only two brands in the top 15 that went backwards. Hyundai’s 7892 registrations in 2017 were down 5.7 per cent on the 8376 in 2016; Nissan’s 7842 last year were down 9.0 per cent on the 8626 in 2016.

Almost 65 out of every 100 vehicles registered in New Zealand last year were either SUVs or utes, the MIA figures show.

SUVs and utes combined totaled 101,696 units, or 63.6 per cent of overall registrations. Add in the 19,279 small cars and the 120,975 total represents 75.6 per cent of 159,871.

Clearly, the carpark in NZ continues to be dominated by SUVs, utes, and small cars. Medium and large cars, once the go-to segment before SUVs, last year accounted for just 5.4 per cent of registrations.

The three best-selling vehicles in 2017 were the Ford Ranger (9420), Toyota Hilux (8106), and Toyota Corolla (7797). Just over 5000 Corollas were rentals.

Toyota celebrated 30 years as New Zealand’s No. 1 brand, a position it has held since 1988. Toyota’s 68 dealers registered 32,282 new vehicles last year, up more than 5000 on 2016. Hilux numbers accounted for 25 per cent and Corolla 24 per cent of Toyota’s overall total.

Ford was No. 2 with 16,827 registrations, 56 per cent of which were Ranger variants. Incidentally, Ford is the only big name brand without a model in the list of top 15 passenger cars.

Holden was No. 3 with 14,411 units. Of those, 4489, or 31 per cent, were the Colorado ute. Sales of Captiva (2174) and Commodore (2164) combined accounted for 30 per cent of Holden numbers.

In the luxury passenger car segment, the big mover last year was Audi, its 2060 registrations up 12.6 per cent on the 1829 units it did in 2016.

BMW improved its lot by 5.0 per cent, from 1860 in 2016 to 1954 last year. Mercedes-Benz lifted passenger sales by 2.4 per cent, from 2480 in 2016 to 2540 last year. Add its 1140 commercial vehicles for an overall 7.1 per cent jump on 2016.

Alastair Sloane has been a newspaper journalist for more than 40 years. He was the motoring editor of the New Zealand Herald for 16 years from 1996 until 2012. He owns a 1968 VW Beetle. Best days at the wheel include doing part of the Land Rover Camel Trophy route in Papua New Guinea, driving a Nissan Patrol over earthquake-hit roads in Guatemala, and a Ferrari Italia on Enzo’s old hill-climb road in Italy.

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